At present, a WLAN deployed by an enterprise or an operator generally includes some access points (Access Point, AP) and one or more access point controllers (Access Point Controller, AC). The AP is used to collect user traffic, and the AC is used to manage the AP. Data traffic of the APs may aggregate on the AC or enter a switching network without being processed by the AC. An AC device produced by most device manufacturers is used only to perform AP management, user authentication, and charging by time, and does not support user data traffic aggregation.
Advances in communication technologies are accompanied by constant evolution and convergence of mobile communication networks. Accessing an EPC by a UE through a WLAN becomes a trend of evolution and convergence for the mobile communication networks.
An existing technology for a UE to access an EPC through a WLAN requires that a WLAN authenticator function, a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (dynamic host configuration protocol, DHCP) server function, and an EPC access function be integrated on one physical entity, for example, an AC, of the WLAN. Moreover, in an implementation process, dataflow of a UE goes through the AC, and is sent to a public data network (Public Data Network, PDN) gateway (PDN Gateway, PGW) after being aggregated on the AC.
It is possible that a device that has the authenticator function in the existing WLAN, such as the AC, has the DHCP server function but has neither the aggregation function nor the EPC access function. In order to implement these functions, not only processing capability of the device having the authenticator function in the WLAN needs to be improved to satisfy the convergence function, but an upgrade is required to provide the EPC access capability. This hinders reusing the device in the existing WLAN, resulting in a high upgrade cost of the WLAN when a UE accesses an EPC through the WLAN.